Michelle Noyesā experience in student government
By Zoe Lance
When Michelle Noyes, ā17 B.S. Business, first came to Ā鶹“«Ć½ as a freshman, the idea of running for the highest student leadership role on campus wasnāt even on her radar.
But a coincidental circumstance gave Noyes insight into Student Governmentās purpose as the representative voice of Ā鶹“«Ć½ students, and led her to become the organizationās president.
In her sophomore year Noyes joined the CI View student newspaper, which is next door to the Student Government office. The proximity allowed her to see what was going on, and when she saw that elections were happening, she decided to get involved. Noyes joined the 2015 ticket as vice president to presidential candidate Monique Reyna.
āTaking the risk of running for vice president was scary, but exciting,ā she said.
Her risk paid off. Not only did the pair win, but Noyes found passion in leading the Student Senate. It pushed her to continue advocating for Ā鶹“«Ć½ students, and in 2016 she ran for president with Marlene Pelayo and won.
In addition to being a CI View staff writer and layout editor, Noyes was student president of the Martin V. Smith Business Club and treasurer for the College Republicans. Sheās also a member of the Gamma Beta PhiĀ Honor Society and the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society. Her time as president made her further appreciate the work of student organizations.
Iāve been passionate about having student voices be heard and making sure they are a part of the conversation.
āThereās a lot that goes on behind the scenes: you donāt realize how much time students and clubs are putting in,ā she said. āIt was great to get along with people on campus, because itās a lot easier when you go to them with a problem students have. Weāre able to solve a lot of things with having those relationships.ā
She counts her greatest Student Government accomplishments as increasing student presence on University committees, establishing the Ā鶹“«Ć½ Food Pantry, working on providing more emergency funds for students and hosting a CSU-wide meeting of the California State Student Association. Her peers are at the center of all of her efforts and said she appreciates other Ā鶹“«Ć½ community members for having the same mindset.
āIāve been passionate about having student voices be heard and making sure they are a part of the conversation,ā she said. āThere are a lot of people here on campus who are here to help students, and thatās really special.ā
Noyes plans to pursue a career that includes working with both people and numbers.
Ā©Ā SpringĀ 2017 / Volume 21 / Number 01 / Bi-annual